Microbial landscape of the gingival sulcus in patients with crowns of various materials

Abstract

Objective: A comparative analysis of microbial landscape of gingival sulcus covered with crowns of various materials. Methods: 51 patients, having used crowns of various materials for 3–6 months, were examined. Smears were prepared from gingival crevicular fluid which were stained according to Romanowsky–Giemsa. Results: Patients with swaged crowns demonstrated a high concentration of neutrophils in gingival crevicular fluid and plentiful mixed microbial and fungal flora. Wearing solid crowns, the number of neutrophils was moderate in smears, flora was scanty, locally moderate. Gingival crevicular fluid from teeth with ceramic-metal crowns contained single neutrophils and scanty flora. Patients with all-ceramic crowns demonstrated only single leukocytes and epithelial cells. Conclusions: The material of artificial crowns, the method of their preparation and, as a result, the accuracy of the marginal fit play a paramount role in the formation of the microbiocenosis of the gingival sulcus and the oral cavity as a whole. Swaged crowns intensively affect the microbiocenosis of the gingival sulcus, the effect of cast and ceramic-metal crowns is less pronounced, zirconia crowns have a minimal effect.